I love grits and I especially love a grit bowl for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can make so many variations of gift bowls, but my favorite is always tempeh with some assortment of fresh veggies. This grit bowl is savory, filling, fresh, and delicious. We added savory tempeh, broiled corn, fresh tomatoes, and onions, and mixed in some nutritional yeast to give the grits a cheesy kick. This vegan grit bowl is a perfect any time of day, and one of our easy summertime go to meals.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup old fashioned dry grits

4 cups water

1 - 2 ears of corn

1 tomato

2 green onions

1 - 2 avocados

1 package tempeh

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/4 cup coconut aminos (you can use soy sauce as well, but skip the extra salt if you do)

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons liquid smoke

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cook grits according to package instructions.

Turn oven on broil and place shucked and cleaned corn on a baking pan. Once the oven is hot and the coils are red, place the pan in the oven and let the corn cook a few minutes. You just want it to get some nice color on the corn. Carefully remove the pan and turn the ears of corn using some tongs. Place back in the oven and let the other side cook a few minutes. Allow the corn to cool before cutting it off the cob using a sharp knife. I like to prop the ear of corn in a bowl and cut down the cob. The bowl helps hold the corn and catches the kernels.

While the grits are cooking, cut tempeh into cubes. Whisk aminos, maple syrup, liquid smoke, garlic, paprika in a shallow dish and add the tempeh. Toss to coat.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tempeh along with the marinade. Allow the tempeh to cook for about 5 - 7 minutes, turning each piece until each side is a little crisp and all of the liquid has been absorbed.

Dice onions, tomatoes, and avocados.

Mix in nutritional yeast with the cooked grits along with salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble bowls by adding a few scoops of grits. Top the grits with the tempeh, corn, tomatoes, onion, and avocados. Garnish with cilantro.

I recently went to visit my niece, Madison, in Charlotte. She knows, and shares my love for food, so took me to get the BEST sandwich at a local coffee shop, AFTER she nearly killed me with a Crossfit workout. I think the sandwich was maybe an apology, or maybe not. She is fierce and probably didn’t feel sorry for me at all…..but it was all worth if for that sandwich. It was a BBQ Tofu Sandwich with pickled veggies and some vegan mayo. So simple but so, so, so good! So once I got home I knew I wanted to recreate this sandwich with my own twist. I normally have a batch of quick pickled veggies in my fridge. They literally take minutes to make, and add a tangy crunch to all kinds of sandwiches, salads, or just as a snack. I opted to mix up some mayo with a little bbq and lime to give the sauce a little more zip than the original plain mayo. I also added some cilantro because, I LOVE cilantro! I am fully aware that a ton of people do not share my affection for cilantro, and if thats you, then just skip it on the sandwich. You can grill up a batch of this bbq tofu and quickly reheat any leftovers for later. I will seriously eat this sandwich every day unit all the tofu is gone, then want to cry because all of the tofu is gone :( So thanks again Madi for being the best Crossfit coach, for not totally killing me, and for introducing me to this sandwich. You are the best.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Drain tofu and wrap in a clean kitchen towel, or a few paper towels. Place a few books on top for 10-15 minutes to help press out the excess liquid. (or use a tofu press)

Slice tofu into 1/4 inch thick slices, and place in a shallow dish. Cover with 1/2 cup of bbq sauce and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

You can either cook the tofu on the grill or in a skillet. If grilling, place the tofu pieces directly onto the hot grill and allow each side to cook for about 5 minutes, brushing the excess bbq sauce from the pan onto the tofu slices before you flip them. If you do not want to place the tofu directly onto the grill, you can lay foil on the grill and cook the tofu that way. Yo can also give the grill a spray with some cooking oil before you heat it to help with sticking.

If cooking in a skillet, heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with a little oil. Place the tofu pieces into the pan and pour the excess bbq over the tops. Allow tofu to cook on each side for about 5 minutes.

Mix the mayo, bbq, and lime in a small bowl.

Toast the bread. Spread a little sauce on each slice after toasting, and top with a few pieces of tofu, some pickled veggies, and a few sprigs of cilantro to serve.

Shepherd’s pie is not a food I grew up eating. To be perfectly honest, I had never even heard of it until I married my husband, and he expressed his great dislike for traditional shepherd’s pie. I was in full agreement that the meaty version full of peas, and carrots and what ever else was in there sounded awful. Then recently our friend Deanne had us over for dinner, and served a vegan lentil version of shepherd’s pie, and much to my surprise, I liked it. I actually really, really liked it! Savory lentils and veggies topped with creamy mashed potatoes. What is not to like!!! It took some convincing to get my husband to try it when I decided to make my own, but when I did he ate two helpings!! So the husband is now a convert, the shepherd’s Pie ban has officaly been lifted, and I will now be adding this deliciously easy dinner to our regular rotation! Thanks again Deanne for proving us wrong!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup dried green lentils

2 carrots, finely diced

1 small onion, finely diced

2 celery stalks, finely diced

2 cups chopped mushrooms

3 cups vegetable broth

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 teaspoon Vegetable Better Than Bouillon (optional, but adds flavor)

3 large russet potatoes

2 tablespoons vegan butter

2 tablespoon vegan cream cheese

splash of milk

salt and black pepper to taste (for the potatoes)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat.

Add the onions, carrots, and celery and allow to cook unit the onions are translucent and soft.

Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for a few minutes.

Add the lentils, broth, and spices and reduce the heat to simmer. Let the lentils simmer for about half an hour to 45 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed and the lentils are soft.

While the lentils are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until they are soft and you can poke a fork through them.

Drain water from potatoes and mash using a hand masher or an electric hand mixer, adding in the butter, cream cheese, salt, and pepper. If they seem too thick, add a splash of milk.

Scoop cooked lentils into a pie dish or shallow casserole dish and top with the mashed potatoes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the shepherds pie for about 25 minutes.

It helps to have friends that are genius, like my vegan friend Lori! Lori is great for a multitude of reasons, including rodent rescue and release. She even took in, and raised, a baby mouse we found in our house, and was able to release it into the wild (and before you say, ewwwww, let me tell you, a baby mouse no bigger than you thumb nail is literally the cutest thing.) She is GREAT, and has the biggest heart for all animals. Lori also apparently has some mad culinary skills, because not too long ago I saw her post on Facebook that she was going to make spinach and artichoke mac n cheese!! WHAT!?!? Why had my brain not gone there yet? So we quickly whipped up a batch of our vegan spinach and artichoke dip and mixed into some noodles with a little extra cheese and, WOW! Lori was not wrong with this one!!! So thank you Lori for being all around awesome and genius, and thanks for always saving all the little critters nobody else wants to save! We are your biggest fans and so are our stomachs!

Tofu Banh Mi sandwiches are on constant rotation in our house. Everyone loves them, even the kids. What’s not to love about perfectly seasoned tofu, crispy pickled veggies, and spicy Sriracha mayo. In a recent effort to change things up , I decided to pile up tofu Banh Mi filling into these easy little rice cups. These are perfect if you are gluten free, looking to change up your favorite sandwich, or to serve at your next get together. These light and fresh tofu Bahn Mi rice cups work work great for meal prep because they keep well in the fridge for several days. Who knows, you may end up loving these as much as we do, and may find yourself making them more often than a Bahn Mi sandwich!

INGREDIENTS:

You will need a muffin tin for this recipe. This recipe yields around 2 dozen cups. You can easily half the recipe for less cups.

Sriracha Mayo:

1/2 cup vegan mayo

2 tablespoon Sriracha

1 teaspoon lime juice

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cook rice according to package instructions. I use my rice cooker and use 3 actual cups of rice, not the scoop that comes with the rice cooker, and fill the water to the 4 cup line. Again you can half this amount if making less cups. Allow the rice to cool. It’s gonna be kind of sticky and thats what you need. Once the rice has cooled enough to handle, scoop about 1/4 cup of rice into each muffin cup and press the rice to form the shape of the cup. I keep a cup of water on the counter to dip my fingers in. If your hands are wet it will be easier to press the rice down. You will get around 24 cups, give or take. Pop the muffin tin in the fridge and for 30 minutes.

Drain tofu and wrap it in either a clean kitchen towel or a few paper towels. Place a few books on top to allow the excess liquid to press out for 10-15 minutes.

Cut the tofu into 1/4 inch cubes. Whisk together soy sauce, Sriracha, and lime juice in a shallow dish and add the tofu. Allow it to marinate for 10-15 minutes.

Heat a large skillet with a little oil over medium heat. Add the the tofu along with the marinade to the pan. Let the tofu cook until all of the liquid has absorbed and the tofu has began to get a little crisp and brown around the edges.

Whisk the mayo, Sriracha, and lime juice together in a small bowl. If you like it spicy, add a little more Sriracha!

Carefully remove the rice cups from the muffin tin. They should just peel out. Divide the tofu among the cups, and top with some pickled veggies and chopped cilantro. Add a little of the Sriracha Mayo to each cup to serve.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for serval days.

I love Italian food, especially lasagna, but don’t always feel like taking the time and energy to make it. So when I am craving noodle filled, cheesy, saucy Italian goodness in a hurry, this quick Italian noodle bake fits the bill! It’s delicious comfort food at it’s best! I especially love the wide eggless ribbon noddles that we use, but if you can’t find any near you, feel free to use any noodle you like. This quick recipe also freezes and reheats well, so Its perfect for meal prep!

INGREDIENTS:

16 oz package of wide ribbon eggless noodles

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 package Lightlife ground “beef” or sausage or any other meatless crumble

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Boil Noodles according to package instructions. Drain noodles and mix in the yogurt, cream cheese, and dijon mustard. Set aside.

In a large skillet, add a few teaspoons of oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and pepper to the pan. Cook until the veggies are soft. Add the Lightlife and break apart into a crumble using a spatula. Allow the meatless crumble to cook through.

Once the the meatless crumbles have cooked through, add the can of crushed tomatoes to the same pan. Add the thyme, oregano, salt and pepper and allow the sauce to simmer for about 10 minutes.

In a large casserole dish or 9x13, add half of the noodles to the bottom. Top the noodles with half of the sauce mixture. Next, add the remaining noodles and top with the remaining sauce.

Sprinkle the top with the cheddar and mozzarella cheeses ,and place on the top rack of the oven for 25-30 minutes. Long enough to melt the cheese and heat the casserole through.

This recipe works well for meal prep. You can easily freeze any leftovers and thaw to reheat for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.

I really love beets. This has not always been the case. There once was a time where I thought I really hated beets! I refused, REFUSED, to believe they could taste like anything other than dirt. Well, one day that all changed when I received a giant bunch of beets in a local produce delivery and was determined not to waste them. I made my first batch of borscht and from that moment on beets went from my most hated food to one of my favorite foods. There isn’t any way I won’t eat a beet now. I love them roasted, raw, pickled, in smoothies, and always in a burger. I think these beet and tempeh burgers have the perfect texture and amount chew to them, thanks to the tempeh, and vital wheat gluten. They are packed with protein, and all the many health benefits of beets! So if you think you hate beets too, I urge you to give them another chance! You may be surprised. They make a mighty tasty burger! And if you are looking for the perfect grillable vegan burger recipe, this my just become your new go to! And don’t forget to check out our quick rise or pretzel bun recipes too! The only thing better than a homemade vegan burger is one on a homemade vegan bun!

INGREDIENTS:

1 small red beet, peeled

1/2 cup vital wheat gluten

1 package plain tempeh

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup coconut aminos or soy sauce

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon Vegetable Better than Bouillon

1/4 cup diced onion

3 teaspoons liquid smoke

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon thyme

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut the beet into quarters and add it along with the onion to a food processor or high speed blender. Process until the beet is nice an minced up. If you do not have either a food processor or blender, then shred the beet using a box grater and finely dice the onion.

Next add the chickpeas and 1/4 cup of water, and process until they are nice and broken down. Again if you do not have a blender or food processor, you can mash up the chickpeas using a potato masher or a fork.

Break the block of tempeh into pieces, and add it to the blender. If you are making the burgers by hand, chop the tempeh into super small pieces, then using your fingers, crumble the tempeh over the beets, onion, and chickpeas and mix.

Add the remaining ingredients and blend for a minute, or until all of the ingredients are broken down and well incorporated. If mixing in a bowl, mix well until all ingredients are incorporated. It may be easier to use your hands to mix everything up vs using a spoon, but be forewarned your hands will be stained red for a while. The only downside of beets.

Equally potion the mixture, and form burger patties. You should be able to get about 10 burgers depending on the size. You can pan fry these burgers or grill them. If using the grill, be sure to spray it well with some cooking oil before putting the burgers down to avoid them sticking. They also freeze well, making them great for meal prep. Just form the patties and portion them into freezer bags. They should stay good in the freezer for a few months.

Matzah Matzah Matzah…You can actually do a lot with matzah if you are forced to eat it for a week! But even if you don’t celebrate passover, matzah still makes a nice crunchy base for vegan nachos. I actually get really excited about these nachos! Sometimes its just fun to change it up! These nachos are covered in our gooey spicy, cashew queso, and topped with the yummiest tofu! I love this recipe most because you built the nachos on a giant sheet pan, making them great for dinner parties or easy weeknight dinners! They also make a great quick snack if your teenager comes home with a gaggle of hungry friends, and I might be speaking from personal experience here. I mean, who doesn’t want to dig in to a GIANT pan of nachos? Its literally the stuff of my dreams.

INGREDIENTS:

5-6 sheets of matzah

1/2 batch vegan cashew queso (If you are celebrating passover, substitute with a passover appropriate option or omit the nutritional yeast in the recipe. It will still be tasty)

A handful of shredded lettuce

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

1/4 cup sliced olives

A few tablespoon sliced green onions

1 can refried beans

2 avocados

Juice from 1/2 lime

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

MARINATED TOFU:

1 block of extra firm tofu

1/4 cup soy sauce or coconut aminos

1 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1-2 teaspoons agave or maple syrup

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Drain tofu and wrap in a few paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Place a few books on top and let sit for 10 minutes to press out any excess liquid.

Dice the tofu into small 1/2 inch cubes. Whisk the ingredients for the marinade in a shallow baking dish and add the tofu. Allow the tofu to marinate for 10-15 minutes.

For the guacamole, scoop the avocados from the peel into a small bowl. Mash the avocado using a fork until they are relatively smooth. Add the lime juice, cumin, and chili powder and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

While tofu is marinating prepare a cookie sheet by lining it with foil or parchment paper. Break up the pieces of matzah and scatter them on the pan. Dollop the beans over the matzah. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tofu along with the marinade to the pan and cook until all of the liquid is absorbed and the tofu begins to brown and and crisp.

Scatter the tofu over the matzah and drizzle with the queso cheese sauce. Place the pan in the oven for about 10 minutes. The nachos just need to say in long enough to heat the beans and warm the queso.

Remove from oven and top with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, onions, and guacamole to serve.

Potatoes are my favorite food group. Mashed, fried, baked, loaded, stuffed, you name it. So obviously I am not going to bat an eye at the idea of using them as the vessel that holds in all of the cheesy, “meaty”, saucy goodness in this roll up! My whole family loved this recipe and fought over the leftovers! If you are not a fan of vegan sausage, you can easily swap it out for any meatless crumble you like, or even use a mixture of diced veggies. This recipe is hearty, filling and sooooo good! Just know that a fight might break out over any left overs, so get your game face on.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Using a mandolin, cut the potatoes on the 1/8 inch setting. If you do not have a mandolin, you can try thinly slicing them on a box grater, using the side that has one single blade, or carefully, thinly slice them using a sharp knife. They need to be around 1/8 of an inch thick.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and lightly spray with some cooking oil. Sprinkle the pan with 1/4 cup of the parmesan shreds.

Lay the potatoes on the pan in a thin single layer, making sure each potatoes is touching and overlapping just a little. You should be able to cover the pan with the potatoes. Give the potatoes a little sprinkle of salt, and another spray with some oil. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.

While the potatoes are baking, prepare the ricotta according to instructions.

Add the sausage to a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it into a crumble with a spatula and allowing it cook though. When the sausage is 3/4 of the way done cooking, add the spinach to the pan and let it wilt, and finish cooking with the sausage.

Check the potatoes after 25 minutes. They should be soft and sticking together. If they do not seem done, give them 5 more minutes. Once they are done cooking, remove from oven (but leave the oven on) and allow them to cool on the pan for about 10 minutes.

Once the potatoes have cooled, spread a nice thick, even, layer of ricotta over the surface of the potatoes. Next sprinkle the sausage and spinach mixture over the ricotta. Lastly, cover the sausage layer in a layer or marinara.

Starting at the end that you began layering the potatoes, carefully begin rolling into a burrito shape, using the parchment paper to help you get started. One potatoes might break when you are rolling it up, just press them back together and keep rolling. Give the roll up another spray of oil, and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of parm shreds over the top. Put the roll up back in the oven for about 25 minutes. You want the roll up to heat through, and the parm to melt and brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool some before slicing and serving. Sprinkle with dried parsley or oregano to garnish.

When we used to eat meat, smoked brisket was on the top of my meat favorites list. Obviously its been a LONG time since we have eaten brisket, but from what I remember, this vegan brisket is a close second! We added some jackfruit to the jazzed up seitan recipe to add some extra meaty texture and it worked great. This vegan brisket is perfectly seasoned and coated in a savory, sweet dry rub. You can serve it as is, or pop it on the grill with some BBQ sauce and sliced up for the most delicious BBQ brisket sandwich. It firms up nicely and can be sliced extra thin using a mandolin. So if you have been missing smokey, savory, dry rub crusted brisket, hopefully this recipe will do the trick! I for one know what’s going to be on our grill this summer!! Glory Glory! Brisket is back, baby!!!

INGREDIENTS:

You will need aluminum foil, and a 9x13 baking dish for this recipe

1 can jackfruit in brine

1 cup vital wheat gluten

1/4 cup tapioca starch

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon Vegetable Better than Bouillon

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons soy sauce or coconut aminos

2 tablespoons oil ( I used grape seed)

2 teaspoons liquid smoke

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon each salt and pepper

DRY RUB:

3 tablespoons smoked paprika

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon thyme

INSTRUCITONS:

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain and rinse the jackfruit. Chop the jackfruit in your food processor by pulsing a few times.

Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and mix for a a minute, until a sort of dough forms.

If you do not have a food processor, finely chop the jackfruit using a sharp knife. In a medium bowl add the jackfruit and remaining ingredients. Using your hands, (I promise its just easier) mix all of the ingredients together until a dough forms. Knead the dough by hand for a few minutes.

Form the dough into a sort of oval shape, mimicking a brisket. Tear off a piece of foil that is about 3 times the size of the dough.

Mix up the ingredients for the dry rub in a bowl.

Pour dry rub into the middle of the foil. Take the “brisket and roll it in the rub to cover all sides.

Spray the brisket and the foil with some cooking spray and wrap the brisket in the foil, sealing it up. Just make sure it is going to be easy to open.

Place the foil covered brisket into a 9x13 pan and place in the oven on the top rack. Bake sealed for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes open up the foil pouch and continue baking for another 30-40 minutes.

Allow the brisket to cool. The brisket should slice easily once cooled. It should even be firm enough to thinly slice on a mandolin.

You can also baste the brisket it BBQ sauce and grill to reheat. I normally place brisket on a piece of foil on the grill to avoid a mess. I let it grill with the lid closed just until its heated through, then slice for sandwiches.

Our family LOVES Disney!. We are lucky enough to live in sunny Florida, only a few hours from the park, and have the additional perk of discounted residence season passes. If you are fan, or frequent visitor of Disney’s Magic Kingdom as well, then you probably know all about Casey’s Corner. For those not familiar, it is a quick serve restaurant that serves hot dogs and fries. In the last couple of years Disney has really stepped up their vegan game, adding lots of vegan options including beyond burgers, and sausages to all of their parks. Thanks to these new offerings, Casey’s Corner now has a vegan hot dog that is so crazy good! It is actually a beyond sausage topped with pickle slaw, grilled corn and a special sauce. I not only ate mine, but half of one of my kids, and wished I had another. So when we came home from our last Disney day, I decided we could easily recreate this tasty treat, but maybe make it a bit healthier, and more budget friendly using carrot dogs. I have never been a big fan of faux meat hot dogs, and although I love the Beyond brand sausage, we can not always easily find them, and they are not nearly as cheap as a bag of carrots! You could 100% use any vegan sausage or hot dog you like for this recipe you like if you are not a carrot dog fan. I can tell you first hand it is just as delicious as a sausage, or a carrot dog!! So if you have been to the park, had this hot dog, and are still craving more, it’s so easy to make yourself one or 3 (I’m not judging) at home. If you have never had this hot dog, then you really have try it!! And if you ever get over the the Magic Kingdom, just know your biggest issue finding something vegan to eat, is actually just deciding on WHICH vegan thing to eat! Not a bad problem to have at a theme park!

Prepare carrot dogs according to instructions. They are best if marinated over night, but I often will start a batch in the morning and grill them at dinner time.

In a medium bowl add the cabbage, pickles, mayo, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and stir. Store in the fridge covered until ready to use.

You can grill the carrot dogs (my preference) or also heat them in a skillet. If using the grill, lightly spray the grill surface with some spay oil. Grill the carrots for about 10 minutes or until you have some nice grill makes on all sides. If heating in a pan, spray pan with some oil, and heat carrot dogs for about 5 minutes to make sure they are cooked through.

Shuck and clean both ears of corn. If using a grill, lightly spray the corn with some oil or brush with vegan butter, and place on the grill along with the carrot dogs. Grill for about 10 minutes turning the corn serval times to avoid burning. If you do not have a grill you can boil the corn for 5 to 10 minutes just to heat through.

Allow the corn to cool. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the corn off of the cob.

Whisk together 2 tablespoons of mayo and bbq sauce in a small bowl.

To serve, top the carrot dog with slaw, some corn, and a drizzle of sauce.

The magic of battering and frying up banana blossoms is mind boggling. It looks like, feels like, and tastes like fried fish! So aside from eating a giant plate of vegan beer battered fried fish fillets (which I will gladly do with some fries and tarter sauce) fish tacos are my next favorite way to enjoy this magic! Now, I know most people serve fish tacos on a flour tortillas, but the fact is, if you know how to prepare corn tortillas, they reign supreme over flour all day! I was pretty anti corn tortillas until someone (my brother in law, Dan) showed me if you cook them in a hot pan with a little oil and seasoning, they are seriously the best thing. We also made the slaw with sauerkraut instead of fresh cabbage for this recipe. We make our own quick dill kraut, and it is the perfect amount of briny tang, mixed with creamy vegan mayo, and little sugar to round out these tacos. If you have never made a slaw from kraut, as my mom always says, don’t knock it til you try it! It’s also a convenient option if you do not have any fresh cabbage on hand. I normally have a jar of sauerkraut in the fridge making a quick slaw that much quicker. And lets not forget the '“fish” is beer battered, so as far as I am concerned, there is nothing not to love about these tasty vegan fish tacos!

INGREDIENTS:

1 can of banana blossoms in brine

3/4 cups all purpose white flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon old bay

1 teaspoons dulse flakes

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 can of cold beer, any beer is fine as long as it’s not a dark, thick beer

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mash the avocado and mix it with juice from half of the lime, sour cream or yogurt, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste until it is nice and creamy. You can also drop all of the ingredients into a bullet blender or food processor. Set aside.

Mix the sauerkraut (not the juice, just the cabbage) and remaining slaw ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.

Drain can of banana blossoms and carefully remove the blossoms, laying them out on a paper towel to remove some liquid. They can easily fall apart so be careful. I found that only a few blossoms in the can that were fully in tact. I simply took all of the loose leaves and stacked them back together to resemble full blossoms. I have only been able to find one brand of blossoms on Amazon. I am uncertain if this is an issue with all canned banana blossoms, but stacking the leaves back together worked just fine for me.

Transfer the blossoms to a shallow baking dish and sprinkle with the 2 teaspoons of dulce flakes and a dash of salt.

For the batter, whisk together the flour, baking powder, teaspoon salt, old bay, and 1/2 can of cold beer (oh well, guess you have to drink the rest) in a medium sized bowl. The batter will be thick.

Heat a deep skillet with a few inches of oil over medium/ high heat.

While the oil is heating, begin carefully dipping the blossoms into the batter. For any blossoms that you had to reassemble, place them into the batter, and using a spoon, cover the top in batter. This will help keep the blossom in tact vs attempting to dip them. Carefully transfer the blossoms to the hot oil. TIP: if you are not sure if the oil is hot enough, place a chopstick into the oil, if tiny bubbles form around the chopstick, the oil is ready!

Fry each blossom for a minute or two on each side, or until they are golden brown. If they seem to be browning too quickly, reduce your heat a bit. Transfer the finished blossoms to a wire cooling rack that has been placed on top of a paper towel lined cookie sheet.

Heat a large skillet and spray with some cooking oil. Heat tortillas on each side, sprinkling them with a little all purpose seasoning, or any seasoning you like, and a squirt of lime juice. You just need to let them heat for a minute or two on each side, just until they get a little brown and crisp. This will help the tortillas taste amazing and not rip.

Cut fish fillets into bite size pieces. Place a few “fish” pieces in each tortilla, along with some slaw, and a drizzle of avocado cream to serve.

If you have been looking for the perfect, cheesy, gooey, saucy, vegan lasagna, look no further! Layers of noodles, tofu ricotta, homemade marinara, and the perfect vegan mozzarella sauce make this lasagna the best vegan lasagna I have had, hands down! It’s my go to dish to bake up for all of our non vegan friends and family, because no one ever even knows its vegan! We are house divided where lasagna is concerned, some preferring veggie lasagna, and others a classic “meaty” lasagna. So I have given instruction on making this lasagna 2 ways! Because two kinds of lasagna are always better than one!! Right?!?!? If you are looking for a mini version that is perfect for meal prep, check out the links below for our Muffin cup lasagna, and our Lasagna stuffed peppers!!

INGREDIENTS:

1 box lasagna noodles (regular or gluten free) DO NOT BOIL THE NOODLES. We will be using them dry in the recipe. This works fine, and there is no need to boil them first. Do not use “no boil” noodles. They typically contain eggs. Just use regular lasagna noodles.

1. Add the onion to a high speed blender or food processor and blend for a minute to mince up. Add remaining ingredients and blend until completely smooth.

White Cheese Sauce:

1 cup of cashews (soaked in hot water a few hours, or coved in water and microwaved 3 minutes)

2 cups of water

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup corn, or tapioca starch

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1.Drain cashews. Add cashews and remaining ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth and liquified. Make sure there are no little bits of cashews left.

2. Add the mixture to a medium sized sauce pan and heat over medium heat, whisking continuously. The mixture will go from liquid to thick very quickly so do not stop stirring! You want the cheese sauce to be the constancy of a thick pudding. If it gets clumpy or too thick, you can add a little more water to the pan and it will thin back out.

The Sauce:

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes drained

1 carrot, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced (optional)

1 cup diced mushrooms (optional)

4 cups raw spinach (optional)

2 cloves crushed garlic

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

splash or 2 of red wine (optional)

“Meaty” option:

If you would rather have a ‘meaty” sauce, you could omit the carrot, pepper, and mushroom, spinach, and add a bag of meatless crumbles, or even use 2-3 Beyond Beef brand burgers. Simply thaw them ,and cook as you would ground meat before adding to the sauce.

In a large sauce pan, sauté all of the veggies and garlic in a few teaspoons of oil until tender. if using spinach, add it last and let it cook down for a few minutes to evaporate some of the liquid.

Add Wine and let cook for a minute

Add both cans of tomatoes, and spices, and let the sauce simmer for 15-20 minutes.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Start by adding a little sauce to the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.

Add a layer of noodles. Next, spread a nice sized scoop of tofu ricotta over the noodles, followed by marinara, then a layer of cheese sauce.

Repeat layers until you have used up all of the ingredients.

Make sure the top layer is the white cheese sauce. You can add some Italian seasoning to the cheese sauce if you like before you bake.

Cover with foil a and bake at 350 degrees for 45- 60 minutes. Remove the foil after about 20 minutes so the top can begin to brown . If you have filled the pan to the top you might want to put it on a baking sheet, incase it decides to bubble over.

Creamy, cheesy, gooey, spicy, vegan buffalo “Chicken” mac and cheese with jackfruit! I love buffalo flavored anything, and I super love buffalo “chicken” dip! So taking that dip with a few adjustments and mixing it into macaroni changed my favorite appetizer into dinner (insert me doing a happy dance!)This mac and cheese is hearty enough to be a meal on its own with side salad, or a super delicious side dish!! So if you love mac and cheese and you love buffalo sauce on everything too, we might be new best friends!

INGREDIENTS:

16 oz package of macaroni noodles

1 can jackfruit in brine

1 8oz container vegan cream cheese

1 cup of buffalo sauce (I use Franks)

1/2 cup vegan mayo

Pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 plus 1/2 cups vegan cheddar shreds (like Follow Your Heart)

2 tablespoons vegan butter (for the drizzle)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cook noodles according package instructions. Drain, rinse and set aside.

Drain jack fruit, rinse, and chop the pieces, or shred them using you fingers into a medium sized bowl. The fruit pulls apart easily, and I find using my fingers easier than chopping.

Add 3/4 cups of the buffalo sauce, 1 cup of shredded cheese, plus the remaining ingredients minus the butter, to the jackfruit and mix well.

Add the noodles to the jackfruit mixture and mix well.

Transfer the mac and cheese to a 9x12 baking or caserole dish, and sprinkle the top with remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.

Melt 2 tablespoons of vegan butter and mix with the remaining 1/4 cup of buffalos sauce. Drizzle the mixture over the mac and cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until all of the cheese on top is nice and melted and the mac is heated through.

Just outside of our neighborhood is the best vegan breakfast and lunch spot in our city! It is our family’s go to spot for an always quick and delicious meal. One of my most favorite menu items is something called the Blisscuit! It is an herb biscuit topped with vegan egg salad, sauerkraut, and avocado. So naturally for all y’all that are not in Jacksonville FL and who can not visit the infamous, Southern Roots, we decided to create our own version of this delicious bite with a few changes. We used our fluffy southern biscuit recipe,tofu egg salad, and quick dill sauerkraut to create what we call the Jax Biscuit Sandwich! And although we think ours is pretty darn good, and you should definitely make yourself one or five, if you ever find yourself in our river city, go by and try the real deal! You won’t be disappointed!

What do you get when you mix a Philly cheese steak and a plate of fries, then top it off with vegan beer cheese sauce. The best thing you have ever eaten?!?!?! That is probably a stretch BUT, these fries are really, really, really good! Trust me when I tell you that you do not want to skip the vegan beer cheese sauce. Any other cheese sauce is a sad second. Also if you have never made homemade seitan, now is your chance! Its super easy to make and can be used a gazzilion different ways. We even have a video on the site to help you see the process of making homemade seitan! Just look under the video section! You only need half a batch for this recipe, so pop the rest in the freezer for another nights dinner! Look at you meal prepping without even trying!! So lets hear it for Philly fries and beer cheese!! You many never use a bun for your Philly again! You may never use another cheese sauce again, either. But honestly, who could blame you!

INSTURCTIONS:

Wash the potatoes, peels on

Cut potatoes into fries.

FOR FRYING THE POTATOES, heat a few inches of oil in a deep skillet (I use a cast iron skillet)on medium heat.Once the oil is nice and hot, start adding small batches of the fries to the oil. Allow them to fry until nice a crisp, about 5 minutes. Once they are done frying, remove from oil and place on a wire cooking rack with some paper towels underneath. This will help them stay crispy while you finish frying the rest.

FOR OVEN BAKING, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat fries in a few teaspoons of oil and place them on a cookies sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure the fries are not over crowded. Sprinkle with salt and bake for about 15 minutes or until the fries seem crispy on one side. Take the cookie sheet out of the oven, and turn the fries with a spatula or a pair of metal tongs. Put the fires back in the oven for another 15 minutes, or until the fries seem fully crisp.

USING AN AIR FRYER: Lightly spray potatoes with some cooking oil, sprinkle with salt and place in the air fryer basket. ( you may have to fry in batches if you have a smaller air fryer) cook on 400 for 15 minutes, taking the basket out and shaking it around a few times during the cooking process. If the fries are not crispy after 15 minutes, put them back in for 5 more minutes or until they have reached the desired crispness.

FOR THE PHILLY, Slice seitan into thin strips. Thinly slice onions and peppers. Heat a large skillet over medium heat with a few teaspoons of oil. Add onions, garlic, and pepper and sauté until the onions begin to get soft. Add the mushrooms and let them cook for a few minutes. Add the seitan, all of the seasonings, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, liquid aminos, and cook for another 5 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the seitan is beginning to brown.

To serve, stack fries on a plates, topping with Philly mixture and drizzled with Beer Cheese. You can also sprinkle some diced scallions if you like extra kick of onion.

If you have not noticed my affection for challah bread by now, then let me reiterate that I LOVE challah, LOVE IT!!! I used to bake and sell challah each week actually, until I started this site and life got too busy. I have t-shirts expressing my challah love. Challah at ya! Challah y’all! Challah day, celebrate! I ain’t no challah back girl. I could go on and on with my challah puns. I love it start to finish, dough to bread. I love the act of preparing challah on shabbat, and I love finding new ways to stuff it so it becomes a total meal. Challah takes some time to make, but it is 1,000% worth it! This vegan challah was the request of our 13 year old daughter. She loves our Buffalo “chicken” dip with jackfruit and stuffing that magic into warm, soft, fluffy challah seemed like a no brainer to me! Covered in melted vegan cheddar and drizzled with hot sauce glaze, its now on my top 5 favorite stuffed challah list! So bake up a batch of our Vegan Buffalo “chicken” dip and stuff your own vegan challah. Then challah at me and let me know how much you loved it!

Challah

Follow the recipe for my basic Challah Y'all, Vegan Challah. You will follow the instructions through the first rise, then follow the below instructions for stuffing and braiding.

Once Challah has completed its first rise, remove from oven and separate dough in half. This recipe will yield 2 stuffed challah loaves.

Cut each half into thirds. (each loaf will have three pieces of dough. Work with one loaf at a time, leaving the other three pieces of dough covered in a bowl until you are ready to use them)

Take one piece of dough in your hand and begin to stretch it both length wise, and width wise and the same, time, letting gravity help with the length. You want a rectangle of dough that is about 5 inches wide and about 6-7 inches long. Once your dough is the correct size, Add a few scoops of dip to the center of the dough. Do not get too close to the edges, if the dip wets the dough it will not seal together.

Once stuffed, bring the outside edges together, and pinch to seal. Once dough is sealed, pick it up and start to gently stretch the dough into a fat rope. You will have to kind of squeeze and pull at the same time, just do not squeeze so hard that the filling comes out. You just need the rope long enough to braid, 10-12 inches.

Repeat with the other two strands.

Once all three strands are stuffed, and formed, carefully braid the three pieces together. If the seams begin to open, pinch them back and continue braiding. Tuck both ends of the loaf under when done braiding. Once again I will refer you to Tori Avey's challah braiding guide if you are unfamiliar with braiding challah! She does a fantastic job showing all the different ways to braid your bread, plus she has some really great recipes on her site.

Repeat with the second loaf, and place both stuffed loaves on a baking sheet, and back in the oven to rise again for about 45 mintues. Once they have risen, remove from oven and pre-heat to 350.

Mix 1 cup of left over aquafaba, maple syrup and buffalo sauce. Brush each loaf of challah with the mixture and sprinkle with vegan cheddar shreds. You can also add a little extra hot sauce to the aquafaba mix and drizzle it over the challah before you bake it.

Bake both loaves for about 35 - 45 minutes. You can tap the tops to see if they sound a little hallow. It is hard to tell when stuffed challahs are done when there are wet ingredients inside, so if they do not seem cooked through after 35 minutes, let them keep cooking for 5 - 10 more minutes.

Remove challah from the oven, and allow to cool some before cutting.

*Follow us on Instagram @86.eats and check out step by step challah making in our highlights. This shows making aquafaba, and the stages of the dough!

I love making noodles out of zucchini. If you do not have one of those zoodle making gadgets, don’t fret! A regular vegetable peeler works fine for veggie ribbon noodles! This Raw sesame zucchini noodle salad is one of my favorites because it is so easy, delicious, and healthy. Just peel, toss, and serve! I mean really, you don’t even cook it, how easy is that! Toss on some grilled tofu, and this perfectly light side dish transforms into fully satisfying, healthy lunch or dinner in just minutes!

Ingredients:

3 medium zucchini

1 and 1/2 cup shredded cabbage or slaw mix

1 cup match stick or shredded carrots

1/2 thinly sliced red onion

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1/4 chopped cilantro

For the Dressing:

Instructions:

Wash and trim ends from each zucchini. Using a veggie spiralizer (zoodle maker) cut noodles from each zucchini into a large bowl. If you do not have a zoodle making gadget, you can cut ribbons from the zucchini using a regular veggie peeler. Just make long ribbons from the zucchini until you reach the core. The seedy part does not peel well.

Add the slaw mix, carrots, onion, sesame seeds, and cilantro to the bowl with the zoodles and toss.

In a small bowl whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. You can taste and adjust to your liking. Pour dressing over the veggies and toss. Garnish with extra cilantro, and sesame seeds if you like.

Our oldest daughter used to order an open faced roast beef sandwich any chance she could get. Once we went vegetarian and eventually vegan, it was a dish she often mentioned missing. While it was not something I ever craved, I decided I would try to make a vegan version of an open faced roast beef sandwich that would hopefully satisfy her craving. Although the jackfruit does not mimic the usual thinly sliced beef, the flavor is rich and convincing. This recipe takes a while to cook, but the prep time is fairly short. So if you are hanging around the house on a weekend, you can easily prep a batch of this vegan roast jackfruit, and let it cook while you go along your merry way! I add red wine to this recipe and it truly makes all the difference in the rich, savory flavor, so I strongly suggest not skipping that ingredient. If you choose to skip out on the wine, I can not account for what that will do to the flavor of the jackfruit. I would suggest adding extra water or maybe some mushroom broth if you do decide to skip it! This recipe is warm, savory, delicious, comfort food that has now become a regular on our families winter dinner rotation and hopefully yours, as well!

Ingredients:

Sliced sourdough or french bread

Vegan cheese slices

2 cans of jackfruit in brine

2 tablespoons Vegetable Better than Bouillon

1 and 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup red wine

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 larger yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons coconut aminos or soy sauce

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the Gravy

1 yellow onion thinly sliced

3 tablespoon all purpose flour

3 teaspoons Vegetable Better Than Bouillon

2 cups water

1 teaspoon dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons vegan butter

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a dutch oven, or another large OVEN SAFE pot, over medium heat on the stove top. Add a little oil, and the sliced onion, and cook until the onions are translucent. While the onion are cooking, drain the jackfruit, and using your fingers, shred the jackfruit apart into the pot with the onion. Add the Better than Bouillon and let the onion and jackfruit continue to cook for a few minutes to help remove the brine flavor the jackfruit tends to have.

After about 5 minutes, add the water and remaining ingredients to the pot. Stir well and allow the mixture to come to a simmer. Once it is simmering, put the lid on the pot and carefully transfer it to the oven.

Allow the jackfruit to cook in the oven with the lid on for about 1 hour. After an hour, remove the lid and cook for another hour, or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Check on the jackfruit and give it a stir a few times while it’s in the oven. Once all the liquid has been absorbed, carefully remove the pot from the oven and place the lid back on. Set aside while you prepare the gravy.

For the gravy: In a medium deep skillet (I use my cast iron) add a few teaspoons of vegan butter over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the onions and garlic and sauté until translucent. Sprinkle the 3 tablespoons of flour over the onions and allow the flour to cook for a few minutes. Reduce heat to low. Whisk the Better Than Bouillon into the water and carefully pour the mixture into the pan. Add the remaining seasonings and stir well. Continue to stir the gravy until it has thickened.

Place enough slices of bread on a baking sheet and top with cheese. Place in the oven until bread is toasty and cheese has melted (if you do not want cheese, just put the bread in until toasted).

To make the sandwiches, top toasted bread with jackfruit roast “beef”and gravy.

I love potatoes and I love cheese. So what’s not to love about these super easy cheesy vegan scalloped potatoes. All you need is a pretty simple vegan cheese sauce, some thinly sliced potatoes, an 8x8 pan, and you are on your way to a veganized classic!

Ingredients :

4 - 5 medium russet potatoes

1 cup cashews soaked in hot water for a few hours

2 cups water

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon light miso paste

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

4 tablespoons tapioca or corn starch

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plant milk (I used almond milk)

diced green onions for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

preheat oven to 350 degrees

Wash potatoes, but do not peel. Thinly slice the potatoes using a kitchen mandolin. If you do not have a mandolin you can thinly slice the potatoes using the single blade side of your box grater, or cut them as thinly as possible using a sharp knife. If they are on the thicker side it will just take them longer to bake.

Drain the cashews, adding them and the remaining ingredients,minus the plant milk, to a high speed blender or food processor. Blend on high until the mixture is completely smooth.

Transfer the cheese mixture to a medium sized sauce pan and heat over medium heat. Whisk the mixture continuously until it begins to thicken to the consistency of thick pudding. Once it has thickened, whisk in 1/2 cup of plant milk.

Lightly spray an 8x8 casserole pan with oil. Start by placing a thin layer of potatoes on the bottom, cover in some cheese sauce, then another layer of potatoes, cheese sauce, and continue the pattern until all of the potatoes and cheese have been used. The top layer should be cheese sauce.

Bake for about 45minutes to one hour, or until the potatoes are cooked through. The time may vary depending on how thick you cut the potatoes. If the top seems to be browning before the potatoes are finished, you can cover the pan with some foil for the remainder of the bake.

Once the scalloped potatoes are finished cooking, sprinkle with diced green onions to serve.